The African Union (AU) extended its condolences on Monday over the tragic death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and several senior Iranian officials.
According local media, Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The helicopter, carrying the president and other officials, was forced into a hard landing due to bad weather in the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan.
In a statement issued Monday, Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the AU Commission, expressed his deep shock and sadness over the tragic passing of the Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and their companions.
The chairperson extends his sincere condolences, deep sympathy and the solidarity of the African Union to the bereaved families, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Iranian government and people during this time of deep sorrow, the AU statement said.
Other members of Raisi’s team, including East Azerbaijan’s Governor Malek Rahmati, the Friday prayers leader of Tabriz Mohammad Ali Ale-Hasehem, and the flight crew, also lost their lives in the crash.
The tragedy occurred while Raisi was traveling back from Khoda Afarin County, where he had attended the inauguration ceremony of a storage dam, to the provincial capital Tabriz for the inauguration of a petrochemical complex.
